Branford Marsalis and Dianne Reeves Celebrate John Coltrane

Branford Marsalis New Orleans-born Branford Marsalis is an award-winning saxophonist, band leader, featured classical soloist, and a film and Broadway composer. In the process, he has become a multi award-winning artist with three Grammys, a citation by the National Endowment for the Arts as a Jazz Master and an avatar of contemporary artistic excellence. The Branford Marsalis Quartet, formed in 1986, remains his primary means of expression. In its virtually uninterrupted three-plus decades of existence, the Quartet has established a rare breadth of stylistic range as demonstrated on the band’s latest release: The Secret Between the Shadow and the Soul. But Branford has not confined his music to the jazz quartet context. A frequent soloist with classical ensembles, Branford has become increasingly sought after as a featured soloist with acclaimed orchestras around the world, performing works by composers such as Copeland, Debussy, Glazunov, Ibert, Mahler, Milhaud, Rorem, Vaughan Williams and Villa-Lobos. And his legendary guest performances with the Grateful Dead and collaborations with Sting have made him a fan favorite in the pop arena. His work on Broadway has garnered a Drama Desk Award and Tony nominations for the acclaimed revivals of Children of a Lesser God, Fences, and A Raisin in the Sun. He received an EMMY nomination for composing the music for the History Channel’s documentary, Tulsa Burning: The 1921 Race Massacre. His screen credits further include original music composed for: Spike Lee’s Mo’ Better Blues, The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks starring Oprah Winfrey, Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom starring Viola Davis and Chadwick Boseman, and Rustin starring Chadwick Boseman. Dianne Reeves Five-time Grammy winner Dianne Reeves is the world’s pre-eminent jazz vocalist. As a result of her virtuosity, improvisational prowess and unique jazz and R&B stylings, Reeves received the GRAMMY for Best Jazz Vocal Performance for three consecutive recordings — a GRAMMY first in any vocal category. Reeves has recorded and performed with Wynton Marsalis and the Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra. She has also recorded with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra conducted by Daniel Barenboim and was a featured soloist with Sir Simon Rattle and the Berlin Philharmonic. Reeves was the first Creative Chair for Jazz for the Los Angeles Philharmonic and the first vocalist to ever perform at the famed Walt Disney Concert Hall. Featured in George Clooney’s six-time Academy Award nominated Good Night, and Good Luck, Reeves won the Best Jazz Vocal Grammy for the film’s soundtrack. In 2022, Reeves was the featured vocalist on the soundtrack of The Woman King starring Viola Davis. She has toured throughout the world in a variety of contexts including “Sing the Truth,” a musical celebration of Nina Simone also featuring Angelique Kidjo and Lizz Wright. And she has performed at the White House on multiple occasions. Reeves has worked with legendary producers George Duke (Gladys Knight, Anita Baker) and Arif Mardin (Norah Jones, Aretha Franklin) — the latter on her GRAMMY winning A Little Moonlight, an intimate collection of standards. When Reeves’ holiday collection Christmas Time is Here was released, Ben Ratliff of The New York Times raved, “Ms. Reeves, a jazz singer of frequently astonishing skill, takes the assignment seriously; this is one of the best jazz Christmas CD’s I’ve heard.” Reeves’ most recent release Beautiful Life, features Gregory Porter, Robert Glasper, Lalah Hathaway and Esperanza Spalding. Produced by Terri Lyne Carrington, Beautiful Life won a GRAMMY for Best Jazz Vocal Performance. Reeves was a mentor in the Rolex Mentor & Protégé Arts Initiative. She is also the recipient of honorary doctorates from the Berklee College of Music and The Juilliard School and has been designated a Jazz Master by The National Endowment for the Arts — the highest honor the United States bestows on jazz artists. In April 2025 Reeves joined, among others, Arturo Sandoval, Dee Dee Bridgewater and Herbie Hancock in Abu Dhabi for International Jazz Day Festivities. She also recorded an album with Branford Marsalis in what will be a tribute to the legendary John Coltrane / Johnny Hartman recording.